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Ex-pat friends rented in Northbrook, walking distance to Metra and downtown. Found a smaller, modest 3 bedroom 1.5 bath home there for $1750.
Found a smaller, modest 3 bedroom in Mt. Prospect north of downtown.
Both provide good schools, commutes under 40 minutes to downtown, modest yard and good neighborhoods. Not sure how much the homes have been updated.
Yahoo search is your friend; search the forum for desirable towns, and plug those into a search and see what you find.

NO, when you get your B-R-O-A-D brush out, I like to tweak you (and others making broad blanket statements)
I prefer more useful statements for those looking for moving/living info, like:"I wouldn't live in Naperville because it is too sprawling and homogenous for me" or "the traffic blows" or "I prefer______because it has________ which I find Naperville doesn't"
I know it's a difference in style and that's OK.

NO, when you get your B-R-O-A-D brush out, I like to tweak you (and others making broad blanket statements)
I prefer more useful statements for those looking for moving/living info, like:"I wouldn't live in Naperville because it is too sprawling and homogenous for me" or "the traffic blows" or "I prefer______because it has________ which I find Naperville doesn't"
I know it's a difference in style and that's OK.

But WHY does Napervile suck in your opinion? It is much more helpful and makes for more interesting, and sometimes spirited, debate if you provide a more detailed opinion. I mean how useful is it if i say, "Your neighborhood sucks", instead of your neighborhood sucks because it is too urban and dense for me. The 2nd opinion allows others to determine if that is a plus or a negative.
I just find broad brushed opinions and statements typically useless and when they strike me as inane, I push back.

I would argue that the most desirable parts of Naperville are not "sprawlish" and in fact are older than other desirable towns closer in.

The history of Naperville includes interestimg "political power struggles" with towns like Wheaton for the County Seat. The long term association with North Central College benefits both . The broad mix of retail, commercial, industrial, and service oriented businesses gives one of the most resilent economic bases. Appreciation for the Arts and recreation gives the town an unequaled "destination" status.

While no town will be everything to everyone, Naperville is rightly regarded as a premier development.

Thank you all for the responses. Just some more additional background. We are a family of four with 2 boys, one in 1st grade and the other few years away from entering grade K.

I've been a New Yorker all my life, but as my family is starting to grow and I'm looking around for a place to settle, I'm realizing that New York suburbs are too tight for my income. Having been in New York all my life, I don't really know much about other metro areas, but I did work in Chicago for few months many years back so I'm a bit familiar which is the reason why I am thinking in that direction.

If any of you are familiar with NYC burbs, you may agree that there are very few places within 1 hour commuting distance to Manhattan that would be considered middle class. Sure, the feel of the neighborhood may be middle class, but the cost of entry now, even with the depressed real estate market, isn't really middle class, mostly due to high property taxes. The middle class people like us that are in these towns got in more than 15 years ago, but wouldn't be able to get in now. Bottom line, for a family looking for a "not-run-down" house in a middle of the road to more reputable school district, you would need to budget at least $3500 to $4000 for a monthly rent (or mortgage plus tax based on a 25% down payment). Ok, enough ranting about NYC burbs.... I said all this so you know where I'm coming from and what I'm trying to compare to.

So, what I'm basically trying to gauge here is what does it cost to live in a Chicago suburb? My impression is that wages are similar, if not slightly lower, but housing inventory is much better (newer, more spacious, more affordable even for Chicago income). So, if we were to take Naperville as an example, what would be a comfortable income for a family to be able to afford a decent home and not be house poor? Again, just as a comparison, I would consider a family income of at least $150K to be "comfortable" in NYC burbs. Again, I throw that out there as a gauge for anyone who may be familiar with NY.

Thanks again.

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